Blog Profile / Getting Attention

Is Responsive Design the Right Mobile Strategy for Your Nonprofit?

Thanks to the bloggers at the Ad Council for sharing their expertise here. The Ad Council produces public service campaigns—on behalf of nonprofit organizations and government agencies—on issues ranging from education to community wellbeing and strengthening families. Show More Summary

Use Compelling Models to Build Marketing Buy-In

Have marketing naysayers among your colleagues or leadership? Take these quick steps to open their hearts, eyes and minds. It’s the best way to motivate their interest and participation in marketing via sharing critical insights on supporters and competitors, and learning to be effective messengers: 1) Show them this short video (in person with others if possible—grabbing [...]

test

Practice Makes Progress—Into Focus Nonprofit Video Guide

See3 and friends have just released Into Focus, the first-ever benchmark guide to video in the nonprofit sector. It’s a good read based on solid research, with these key takeaways: Video is important and getting more so Nonprofit orgs want to make more video, but don’t have the skills, metrics or budget to do so. The [...]

How To Tell Your Strength Story: Nonprofit Storytelling #5 1/2

Nonprofit Storytelling #1-9 This is the last in my six types of stories your organization has to tell series on how to find, shape and share your strength story. Strength stories showcase how your organization’s particular focus or approach adds value to the community you serve and/or and moves your issue or cause forward in a [...]

Remember Your Own—Make Internal Communications Matter

Our guest blogger Amanda Aldrich is Regional Communications Specialist with the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio. Her experience as a volunteer, board member, executive director and regular-old-employee shape the opinions she shares here, which do not represent those of the American Red Cross. I’m always moving a million miles an hour, and I know [...]

Escape from Fairy-Tale Fundraising—Roger Craver, Part 2

Part 1—In which Roger advises how to stem the tide of lost donors. Roger Craver tells it like it is. Right now, he’s all about donor loyalty, all the time. That’s because nonprofits like yours are losing 7 of 10 donors every year. That adds up to a 25% decrease in retention rate over the last ten years. [...]

Eye Candy—Digital Storytelling Challenge 2013

I was thrilled to be invited to judge this year’s TechSoup Digital Storytelling Challenge and even more thrilled to see how many powerful videos, and photos (both stills and slide decks/photo series)  were submitted. There’s so much potential in visual storytelling, but photos (single or series) and video are still not part of the daily [...]

Craft Calls to Action That Get You to Goal

Your audiences so often see nonprofit campaigns that lack any call to action so, no matter how compelling the issue or message, that they have no idea how to get involved. I know, because I see them too. Your call to action is what connects your supporters and partners with your org—you have to have [...]

Great Nonprofit Marketing Jobs: Movin’ Up Tuesday

Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities Advertising Manager/Account Exec, Donor Digital (Washington DC or Berkley, CA) Chief Marketing...Show More Summary

Get Attention With Your Next Multichannel Campaign

Thanks to co-guest-bloggers Amy Sample Ward and Allyson Kapin. Allyson is acclaimed for her leadership role in technology and social media, and runs Rad Campaign. Amy is the Membership Director for NTEN and blogs for Stanford Social Innovation Review. Getting the attention of your supporters and engaging them in your campaigns on one platform is [...]

15 Fantastic Nonprofit Marketing Jobs: Movin’ Up Monday

  Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities Associate Director of Integrated Content Management, The American Optometric Association (St. Show More Summary

Make It Easy to Spread the Word (Case Study)

Your supporters and partners are one of the most dependable marketing channels you have, and one of the least expensive. But I see so few orgs that ask supporters to spread the word on vital asks, and even fewer who make it easy (and far more likely) for them to do so. This “spreading the [...]

How Story Trumps Description (Nonprofit Storytelling #9)

Nonprofit Storytelling #1-8 I’m a sucker for stark contrast. It’s one of the best learning tools ever, and today I’m drawing on examples from  Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). The Challenge MMP supports and strengthens mentoring programs in Massachusetts and faces this marketing challenge common to every organization that doesn’t provide direct services: How to show [...]

Escape from Fairy-Tale Fundraising—Roger Craver, Part I

What a week it was! Among other adventures, I met and learned with famed fundraiser Roger Craver at the fabulous first-time Engage Conference last week. Roger is a guy who doesn’t hold back. He shares what he knows, sees and suggests with absolutely no restraint. You may agree with him or not, but his bold, [...]

I Won’t Support My Grandma’s Nonprofit

Guest blogger, Chapin Cole is a proud Millennial who works in nonprofit development in the California Bay Area. She blogs on getting successful yet stress-free as a nonprofit staffer. Lately, there’s been attention on the idea that nonprofit organizations should take more risks. There’s a stigma against risk in the sector because of a myriad [...]

Last Chance—Learn to Craft Relevant Messages

What if you were skilled at the most critical marketing process necessary to engage your target audiences with clarity and purpose? What if you mastered a proven 11-step message development process so you had a positioning statement, key messages and a sparkling tagline that connected with your supporters and energized your staff, board and volunteers? [...]

Thanks—Make It Memorable & Meaningful (Case Study)

I was truly moved last week when I stumbled on this wonderful hug-in-a-video created by ONE to thank volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Week.  This fun but heartfelt four minutes quickly conveys how much the ONE folks value their volunteers. It’s an absolute winner. “We got very positive feedback from our top vols (so much that [...]

Match Your Messages & Your People (Case Study)

We’re long-time members of the local JCC (Jewish Community Center, sort of a Jewish Y). Our daughter was there for daily pre-K care but now we’re there mostly for the pool and gym rather than the Jewishly-oriented cultural and learning programs. Big Change: New members with diverse cultural perspectives There’s been a big change at the [...]

Your New Nonprofit Marketing Job: Movin’ Up Monday

Please post your nonprofit marketing position here for full-time or part-time staff, consulting or internship opportunities. New Opportunities Chief Marketing Officer, Conservation International (Alexandria, VA) Communications Director...Show More Summary